


Singularity

by sartiebodyshots



Series: Happily Ever Before [6]
Category: Falling Skies
Genre: Gen, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-29
Updated: 2015-04-29
Packaged: 2018-03-26 07:08:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3841720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sartiebodyshots/pseuds/sartiebodyshots
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Hal accidentally upsets Ben, Tom goes upstairs to talk to his middle son.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Singularity

            Ben doesn’t (usually) yell and scream when he gets upset.  He usually sits and takes it.  At school, it just draws more attention to him, which is the opposite of what he wants, and it translates to when he gets mad at home, too. 

            But when Hal manages to taunt him at dinner in a way that hits home- “he doesn’t _really_ sit with anyone at lunch; he’s always reading instead”- the day that Jake shoved him into the locker and he was stuck in there for an hour, Ben pushes himself away from the table and storms up to his bedroom.

            He slams the door- okay, that’s satisfying, he should do that again sometimes- and drops onto his bed.  Dad and Mom have always made it clear that it’s fine to cry, so it doesn’t bother him when he realizes that he’s crying uncontrollably. 

            There’s a knock on his door. 

            “Go away!” Ben yells.

            “It’s Dad.”

            Ben sighs and turns on his side so he isn’t facing the door.  “Fine.”

            The door opens, closes, and Dad comes over and sits on the edge of his bed.  His hand cards through Ben’s hair.  “What’s wrong, Ben?”

            “Hal’s stupid,” Ben mumbles.

            “ _Ben_ ,” Dad says sternly. 

            It’s true.  “He doesn’t like me anymore.  Matt always wants to hang out with Hal because he thinks I’m just nerdy and boring.  And nobody at school likes me either.  And I spent an hour in a smelly locker today.  Nobody likes me, Dad.”

            “I get that you feel that way, but it isn’t true,” Dad says softly. 

            Ben shifts so he’s looking up into Dad’s comforting eyes.  “Okay, I know _you_ like me.  But, that’s one person out of six billion.  And you have other kids and Mom and a bunch of students to like, too.”

            “But there’s only one of you, Ben,” Dad says.  “You’re the only Ben Mason there is.  And there are a lot of people who care for you.”

            Ben just shrugs. 

            “You’re wrong about your brothers, you know.  And you didn’t even mention your mom,” Dad points out.  “She loves you so much, and you know that.”

            “They just want to hang out with each other,” Ben says, face crumpling.  Maybe Hal had never really wanted to hang out with him at all.  Maybe there had just been no one better when it was just them.  “Matt’s a much better little brother than I am.  I think I was a mistake.”

            Dad’s face turns scary stern.  “Don’t you ever say that, Ben! Don’t you even think it. You weren’t a mistake- none of you are.  All three of you are loved so much, by me and your mom.”

            Ben swallows hard.  “I’m sorry.”

            “I know it’s hard for you, Ben.”  Dad’s face softens again.  “I know you’re lonely.  But you and Hal are just at an awkward stage right now.  He loves you, just like you love him.”

            “I don’t,” Ben mumbles, and he knows it’s a lie.

            “Ben,” Dad says with exasperation. 

            “I miss…” Ben shrugs and doesn’t finish.  He doesn’t know how to say that he misses how things were before Matt, because he doesn’t, not really.  Because Matt is _awesome_.  He just wants to be a part of what Hal and Matt have.  “I wish we were more like Spock and Captain Kirk and Bones from Star Trek.  Three best friends, you know?”  Also, on a spaceship and not going to a dumb school.

            But they like playing outside and wrestling and being loud, not talking about how gravity works or sitting quietly to read or watching Star Trek.  That’s all stuff he can do with Dad (well, he can explain to Dad how gravity works, but it’s never much of a discussion because it takes a _lot_ of explanation) but it makes Hal and Matt think he’s boring.

            “I know, Ben.  But they love you and you love them.  You guys will figure that out, I promise,” Dad says, squeezing his shoulder. 

            “When?” Ben asks plaintively.  He wanted to figure it out now.

            “I can’t tell you that,” Dad says.  “But I know it’ll happen.”

            Ben sighs.  That’s not a good answer.  They could be old.  Like, thirty. 

            “And I know it’s little comfort, but for now, you’ve at least got me to hang out with.  Even if I am just your nerdy dad.”

            “Hey, you’re great to hang out with!” Ben exclaims.  Dad’s the only person who makes him feel not alone.

            Dad smiles and pats his cheek.  “Why don’t you rinse off your face, and we can go back downstairs.  You missed dessert.” 

            “I don’t want to go back downstairs,” Ben mumbles.  Hal and his dumb smirk are down there.

            “Okay,” Dad says.  He leans down and presses a kiss to his forehead before getting up and leaving.

            Ben figures Dad’s just left him, so he grabs his book- _A Brief History of Time_ \- and settles in to unravel the mysteries of the universe for the rest of the night. 

            A few minutes later, Ben hears feet coming down the hall.  Ben looks up to see Dad standing there with two plates of chocolate cake, one with a scoop of ice cream next to it. 

            Dad comes over and hands him the plate with ice cream before reclaiming his spot on Ben’s bed.

            “That physics book again, eh?” Dad asks.

            “Yes, Dad,” Ben says, setting it aside.  “I’ll read the book about the presidents you got me next, I promise.”

            “Okay, now try to explain _what_ he’s talking about to me one more time.”

            Ben smiles and eagerly starts explaining it to him over their dessert, bad mood banished.

           


End file.
